RobertXGillis

By Robert Gillis
Published in the Foxboro Reporter as a Letter to the Editor (political op/eds for regular columnists not allowed) in 4/2010

To the editor,

My dear friend Lynda Walsh is running for re-election for selectman, and I encourage you to vote for her on Election Day.

Lynda and I have been Jaycees for about the same length of time (1993) and she is more than a fellow Jaycee–she is a leader, a true friend, a confidant.

It was Lynda who was president of the Jaycee chapter for a record two terms. As president, she was hands-on but encouraged others by delegating, encouraging, and listening to all sides of an issue.

In 1998, she called me and convinced me to serve for the first time on the Jaycee board of directors. “Bobby, I need you on my board,” she said. How could I say no? She inspires others to action. You just can’t say no to Lynda Walsh. Her no-nonsense approach serves her well.

In 1999, the Jaycees were dealt a double blow when the Payson Road location of our Haunted House fund-raiser was condemned, and Spooky World came to town. It was Lynda who chaired our haunted house that year and established Camp Lincoln Hill as the new location — calling that task Herculean is an understatement, but it was done, it succeeded, and she set the blueprint we followed for another five successful years at that location.

She has served as president of the Massachusetts Jaycees, overseeing all the state chapters and still found time to help around Foxboro.

She has served on the Founders Day committee, and most recently is a valued member of the board of Trustees for the Doolittle Home, and has three times chaired the cable auction — a Herculean task to say the least.

She is a mentor to many people in town, and always ready to lend an ear and give advice. She navigates the minefields of politics with seeming ease.

Lynda, a lifelong townie, has a real love for Foxboro and I have always known her to weigh her decisions carefully and act in what is the best needs of the many. She jumps into every community service project and endeavor with gusto and leads others with her trademark smile and genuine sense of humor. She is not a phony; she is not someone trying to add a political title to her resume. She served as selectman for the reason she does everything else — she loves this community and wants to work to make it better. She gets involved. She makes a difference.

During her tenure as selectman, Lynda’s mission has been to the town, and she has kept her sense of humor and memory of why she ran for office in the first place. As selectman, she is often a voice of reason, the voice of calm, saying the right thing at the right time.

She is one of those people who checks her ego at the door, never letting personal feelings or agenda interfere with what is right for our town. She has always had Foxboro’s interest at heart and puts those interests first.

She has been an exemplary selectman and she would like the opportunity to keep doing the work and fighting the good fight on our behalf. We should ensure she is able to do so.

On Election Day, please send our friend Lynda Walsh back to Town Hall for another term as selectman – we need people like Lynda speaking for all of us.

So with that in mind, I would ask you to consider voting for my dear friend Lynda Walsh for reelection as selectman. Her leadership skills, organization, good nature, and love of Foxboro will continue to make a real difference in our local government.

UPDATE 5/3/2010: Lynda’s bid for re-election was SUCCESSFUL!

by Robert Gillis Published in the Foxboro Reporter and the Boston City paper, January 2009

The cost of President Barack Obama’s inauguration — estimated at some $170 million dollars — has been (for some) a heated topic. Many have argued — reasonably — how can the government spend such a huge amount of money on such a lavish ceremony during these terrible economic times? One letter-writer to the Boston Herald said a simple swearing in at the White House would have been just fine and set an example that cost-cutting begins at the top.

That’s a fair and reasonable point. No one needs an update on where the economy is in America in 2009.

But I would argue that despite the economy, the cost of the inauguration was worth every penny. America needed that ceremony, that pageantry, that formal acknowledgement, that pomp and circumstance.

This event was one that demanded proper recognition. We needed the party.

Consider:

• The transfer of power is peaceful. The incoming leader has not seized power through bloodshed but by the will of the people. For that, we are the envy of the world — for over two centuries, every four or eight years the United States transitions her leadership and executive power and the process is PEACEFUL. That fact alone is worth dancing in the streets.

• A black man has been elected President of the United States. The significance of that fact will be written about for generations. As President Obama said in his inauguration speech, his own father, 60 years ago, might not have been served in Washington because of his skin color. In my own lifetime, I remember the race riots of the late 1960s, the racial strife and forced segregation that tore Boston and other cities apart in the 1970s, and we’ve all witnessed the social and economic wars of race and class in this country. And now a black man is president — that is AWESOME. This country has come so far, finally. Racism and friction between races won’t be erased with this election, but it is a hell of a great start in the right direction toward healing, a milestone of epic proportions, and perhaps the real beginnings of racial peace in our land. This incredible moment in our history needed to be acknowledged properly.
• For the first time in many years, the people of this country, young and old, are EXCITED about its leadership and the new government. This last election, all two grueling years of it, was marvelous for the simple reason that so many millions and millions of people were involved. They were passionate. They were informed. They wanted to be part of the process. For so many years we have been jaded and ambivalent and angry about our government and leaders. This time, people got involved. They lobbied. They polled. They wrote. They called. They worked, and worked, and worked, and they voted. I have NEVER seen such excitement, and then joy, across this country on an election night. It was palpable. It was like New Year’s Eve in Times Square.
• On inauguration day, an estimated 1.8 million people crowded Washington DC. The level of excitement defies superlatives. People are energized. They’re hopeful — they believe change is coming. All that good energy isn’t just about a black man being elected president — it’s about the tangible feeling that REAL CHANGE is coming and that the America we knew will be back. An America where we don’t torture people. An America where we have a fair immigration policy. An America where the Constitution is restored to its proper place as the Law of the Land. Things are changing — the America we loved will be back.

Barack Obama is just one man and like all presidents, he will have his successes and failures. His administration — like all administrations — will have its problems, controversies, detractors, and bumps along the way.

No man can summon the future, and no one person can fix this country’s problems. No one should believe that. But a great leader, even a good leader, can not only lead but instill hope, and inspire others to greatness as well. I have a real hope that Obama is that man.

I pray that the tremendous flow of happiness and positive energy felt on January 20 will remain and help our nation heal, and prosper.

We celebrated far more on January 20 than the first black president or a peaceful transition of power. We celebrated waking up from a long nightmare. We’re still fighting two wars, we’re still in grave danger from terrorist attack. There’s a lot wrong with America right now.

But watching the inauguration, I was so impressed by our new president. Despite the inauguration’s financial cost, the United States needed a gigantic celebration — a true recognition — of the change that has come, and the new era that has dawned.

By Robert Gillis
Published in the Foxboro Reporter and the Boston City Paper 10/2008

Global warming. Taxes. Guns. Immigration. Iraq. Energy. Environment. Economy. Gay marriage. Free speech. Free choice. My rights. Your rights. Show up or shut up. Vote!

The above quote appeared in a recent Boston Phoenix ad and it caught my eye. It’s succinct, powerful, and I like it because no matter what your opinion on any of the topics mentioned, the ad reminds us that 1) There’s a lot at stake in this election; 2) Decisions are made by those who show up and vote.

And I would add 3) the above list is maybe one percent of everything we’re discussing these days: The questions we’re asking, the issues we face, the problems to be solved, the changes we’re making. The plan for the future.

So, let me ask you this: How many of you receive the red “Information for Voters” in the mail recently?

Yep, ALL of you.

Now, quick show of hands, how many of you took the time to read it?

Yeah, that’s what I thought. Not good.

You’ve heard it before, but this is one of the most important elections in our history. As a good citizen, as someone who cares about the Nation’s future, you need to do the following two things:

• Be as informed as you possibly can. (Read EVERYTHING. The newspapers. News magazines. Books. Watch EVERYTHING. The news shows. The talk shows. The various interview programs. The political commentary. The satires. Listen to Talk Radio). Watch, read and listen to a VARIETY of sources — every single source has a particular bias; only by making sure your information flow is well-rounded can you get a balanced picture and create your own INFORMED opinion.
• On Election Day, vote. It’s that simple. Make the time (polls open at 6am!).

This is a big ballot! Your presidential choices include not only the republican and democratic candidates, but candidates in the constitution, libertarian, green-rainbow and independent parties. There is a senate contest here in Massachusetts. There are a host of local elections in towns across the nation, including ours.

And three important questions are on the Massachusetts ballot regarding the elimination of the State Personal Income Tax, changes to the laws regarding possession of one ounce or less of marijuana, and a proposed law to eliminate dog racing.

The results — and the future — are based on your choices. Your decisions.

Your vote DOES matter.

Check out Massachusetts’s Secretary of State Francis Gavin’s website (http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/) for a wealth of information about the election and answers to all the frequently asked questions. You can even get a new copy of that red “Information for Voters” book that you haven’t read yet!

Voting is one of your most precious rights; a right so many have died to protect, and a right so many people in the world only dream of.

Be as informed as you can, and vote. Remember: Decisions are made by those who show up.

End of speech.